For four days during the war, it held Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess and – just over a decade later – psychopathic twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray.

But the Tower of London, home to the Crown Jewels and scene of innumerable executions, is now adding another page or two to its infamies – albeit, on this occasion, unwittingly.

For I can disclose that a charitable event that the Tower has hosted for many years – raising thousands of pounds for the Red Cross in the process – has fallen victim to political correctness.

Formerly known as ‘Jailed & Bailed’, but now prosaically renamed ‘Escape From The Tower’, the event is philanthropy with a pantomime flourish.

It sees – or used to see – Masters of various City of London livery companies ‘arrested’ by the City of London Police, taken to the Tower and, as one of livery company notes, ‘“tortured” with sponsored champagne and a splendid lunch’ until their fellow liverymen and women secure their release by raising a ‘bail payment’, often amounting to tens of thousands of pounds, with every penny going to the Red Cross.

But this year the Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers was told by the Red Cross that ‘they couldn’t take part because they represented an “unethical” industry’, explains an eminent liveryman, adding that at least one other livery company was placed on a blacklist because of ‘links with the defence industry’.

Red Cross CEO Beatrice Butsana-Sita, right, had to clarify matters and expressed being ‘deeply grateful for the livery companies’ long-standing support’

I understand that this was the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers – one of the oldest livery companies, founded in 1637. ‘They actually test the guns that the police use,’ an appalled liveryman tells me.

The Red Cross, headed by Beatrice Butsana-Sita since 2023, seemingly exacerbated matters by sending out ‘a sort of clarifying note’, stating that, while ‘deeply grateful for the livery companies’ long-standing support’, it was aware of ‘a very small number of livery companies with direct public association with, or funding from, our excluded industries’.

This couldn’t have gone down worse. ‘Pretty much all of the Masters have said, “Well, if you’re not willing to accept Masters of other companies, we’re not going to take part”,’ says a liveryman from one of the companies which, collectively, give some £81million a year to charities.

‘Previously, there’s been a lot of support for the Red Cross. But, no pun intended, they’ve really shot themselves in the foot.’

The Red Cross assures me that it ‘greatly values the long-standing partnership and generosity of London’s livery companies’, adding: ‘We do not accept donations from a very small number of specific industries.

‘We are speaking directly with livery companies to provide clarification, answer questions and reaffirm how much we value their continued support.’

What will ‘porn addict’ Ore think of his ex’s jokey sex worker snap?

Portia Jett, the ex-wife of TV presenter Ore Oduba, is seen in the red light district of Amsterdam while on a trip with Joshua Saxon

Portia was married to Ore Oduba until 2024, who has spoken about his pornography addiction

Strictly winner Ore Oduba has spoken tearfully about his addiction to pornography and become a vocal critic of the sex industry.

So the TV star, 40, may be unamused by a photograph that his estranged wife, Portia Jett, posted online.

Portia, 36, who has two young children with Ore, is pictured smiling and posing on a stool at the Museum of Prostitution in Amsterdam.

She was imitating the female sex workers who can be seen touting for business from behind windows in the city’s red-light district. Her boyfriend, the businessman Joshua Saxon, 37, who accompanied her to the Netherlands, joked in a caption: ‘Ain’t cheap this one.’

Ore, whose nine-year marriage to Portia collapsed in 2024, said of his addiction: ‘The reason that I felt like I needed to speak about this is because I wanted to be able to guide my own children when it comes to it, when it comes to them seeing stuff that is going to be there. They’re going to come across it in life, so many of life’s pitfalls, whether it’s drink, drugs, money.’

Coronets aloft! After having two daughters, the Marchioness of Blandford has given birth to a son and heir.

Camilla, 39, and her husband, the Marquess, George Spencer-Churchill, 34, have named their baby Orlando Charles Godolphin.

Orlando is in line to inherit Blenheim Palace and its 12,000-acre Oxfordshire estate one day, ahead of his elder sisters, Lady Olympia, five, and Lady Leonora, two.

A friend of George, whose father is the Duke of Marlborough, tells me that he would have been ‘very philosophical’ if Camilla had had another girl.

But perhaps the couple allowed themselves an extended celebration – which might explain why they delayed announcing Orlando’s birth until yesterday, some 14 weeks after his birth.

Moss agency sees bottom line shrink

Kate Moss attending the 2026 Met Gala, which celebrated Costume Art, at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

Kate Moss has graced the catwalk and been queen of the photoshoot for 38 years, but her star power could be in decline.

Newly published accounts for the Kate Moss Agency, which she founded in 2014, disclose a seven-figure downturn in its fortunes.

The model agency – which represents Kate, 52, and her daughter Lila, 23, among others – made its first ever loss. Its bottom line shrunk by £1.8million over the year to last July. Retained earnings fell to £3.3million from £5.1million – the equivalent of a £35,000-per-week loss. The net worth of the business, which peaked at £5.1million in 2024, previously increased annually. A source said Kate (right) set it up ‘because she was sick of paying huge commission to model agents’.

Oasis star Noel Gallagher admits his surprising taste in music leaves friends appalled.

‘I’m a huge fan of the Pet Shop Boys, which people are disgusted by,’ the rocker says of the camp synth-pop duo. ‘I was at Glastonbury, as the entire festival is walking one way to go and see Kendrick Lamar, I’m going the other way to see the Pet Shop Boys. I dragged a few people with me, and I was like, “Just be amazed at how many hits you’re going to hear”.’

The smart set’s talking about… A wedding date for Fiennes romance

Broughton Castle in Banbury, Oxfordshire, is owned by Martin Fiennes, the 22nd Lord Saye and Sele, and his family

Television producer Melanie Fall is set to marry Martin Fiennes, the 22nd Baron Saye and Sele, in September

His father, who died in 2024 aged 103, trimmed the family name from three barrels – Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes – to one, but in every other way Martin Fiennes’s inheritance remained undiminished.

Aside from a title – he’s the 22nd Lord Saye and Sele – he’s also king of Broughton Castle in Oxfordshire, which has been in the family since 1447. And next month, I can disclose, he’ll be joined by his new queen – acclaimed television producer Melanie Fall. The couple resist talking about their September wedding, but a friend tells me: ‘It’s wonderful that they met.’

Fiennes, 65, whose kinsmen include actors Ralph and Joseph and explorer Sir Ranulph, has three adult sons by ex-wife Pauline Kang Chai Lian. For Mel, 58, it’s a first marriage, even though she, like twin sister Kate, ‘gatekeeper’ to David Cameron while he was PM, has attracted numerous admirers.

Phineas turns a page with new love Michaela

Franco Manca pizza heir Phineas Page was married Sabrina Percy for four years after their 2021 ceremony at Chelsea Old Church

Michaela Wrede, 33, is now said to be going out with Phineas as the two enjoyed a romantic getaway to Crete last week

Less than a year after the collapse of his marriage to society model and artist Sabrina Percy, the heir to the Franco Manca pizza fortune is cooking up a new romance.

I hear that businessman Phineas Page, 43, who was married to Sabrina, 36, for four years, is now going out with luxury lifestyle PR director Michaela Wrede, 33, right.

And things appear to be heating up fast. The couple enjoyed a romantic getaway to Crete last week, staying in a private villa overlooking the Mediterranean.

‘It’s early days, but it’s going very well,’ a friend tells me. ‘Micki is a great girl. He’s very lucky.’

(Very) modern manners

Calvin Harris has launched his own Rave Haggis in celebration of his DJ shows in Glasgow

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Usually enjoyed on Burns Night as the poetry of Robert Burns is declaimed, haggis has been given a contemporary flavour.

DJ Calvin Harris, right, has created his own version of the Scottish delicacy to celebrate his shows in Glasgow this weekend.

Called ‘Rave Haggis’, its packaging declares: ‘Heat, eat, rave, repeat.’ Dumfries-born Calvin, 42, who’s married to TV and radio presenter Vick Hope, 36, says he’s ‘buzzing’ to launch the ‘premium’ product, priced at £12.95.

His wife warns: ‘It’s all fun and games ’til you get knocked out by a tin of your own haggis hoyed at the stage at your own gig.’

JK Rowling politely turned down the offer of a peerage for her stance on gender from Kemi Badenoch – but the Tory leader hasn’t given up on wooing the Harry Potter author.

‘The Conservative Party is the Professor Snape of politics,’ Kemi purrs. ‘We’re trying to do the right thing. People think we’re the bad guys, but without us everything would go horribly wrong and in the end they will see that.’

Would former Labour donor Rowling agree? ‘I don’t think she’s as Labour as she used to be. She and I do agree very much on some subjects… I want the Conservative Party to appeal to people who are not conservative,’ Badenoch says in her best come-hither voice on Nick Robinson’s Political Thinking podcast.

The Trump administration is packing immigration courtrooms and giving less lead-time on hearings in an effort to clear a decades-long backlog. The result is a historic rise in the number of people missing court dates and being immediately ordered deported as the system struggles to keep up, new data shows.

Dozens and often hundreds of immigrants’ cases a day are being assigned to individual judges in courthouses across the country, in what are known as “mega” master hearings, which have seen a significant increase this year. More than 1,300 such hearings were held in June alone, a nearly threefold jump from the previous June, according to data analyzed by Mobile Pathways, a nonprofit that tracks immigration court data to help immigrants, their lawyers and other organizations.

At the same time, the data shows, courts have severely cut the length of time many people are getting to prepare for complex immigration proceedings, from about six months to often just a little more than a month.

They’re subsequently missing hearings, receiving deportation orders and being told they’ve abandoned any asylum claims at unprecedented rates.

“The combination of collapsed lead times and packed hearing blocks is a schedule designed for people not to have their case heard,” said Bartlomiej Skorupa, chief operating officer of Mobile Pathways. “The data shows valid claims are closed before being adjudicated.”

Those who favor stricter immigration laws see the swift hearings as a course-correction for a longstanding problem.

“There’s no credibility in the system that never reaches an end,” Andrew Arthur, a fellow at the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, said.

Still, he worries that these rapid-fire hearings could affect judges’ performance.

“You don’t want to put so many cases on that the judges get burned out or that there’s a danger of denying due process to anybody,” Arthur said.

The Justice Department office that handles immigration courts said in a statement that judges were adjusting their schedules to resolve cases more quickly, while making sure all cases get handled fairly and lawfully. It said court delays harm immigrants who have valid claims, and that the public interest is served when the government deports people without legal grounds to stay.

Immigration courts are overwhelmed

Attending immigration court in Harlingen, Texas, on days where there are mega master hearings can mean waiting outside in the hot, crowded entrance for over an hour until the lobby can accommodate the next wave of people. Adults with cases often are accompanied by relatives and attorneys, and detained children are brought in with shelter case managers and legal advocates.

The courts call it a “mega” day when a judge has more than 50 cases scheduled. Although the practice is not new, it became much more frequent starting in mid-May.

On a recent day, about 90 cases were scheduled with Immigration Judge Delia Gonzalez. More than 20 people did not show up, but even so she ran out of time to hear each case and rescheduled a handful of people who had waited more than eight hours.

“There’s a real limit to how many cases a judge can hear with any care in one morning,” said former immigration judge Elizabeth Young. “When you cram that many hearings into a single docket, you’re working through a list, not holding court.”

Some immigrants requested more time before their next hearings, presenting evidence of having been defrauded by unscrupulous attorneys profiled in local news reports. Others without any attorney asked for more time to figure out the proper evidence filing procedures.

A Colombian man who submitted more than 1,500 pages as evidence in his asylum claim said he still wanted to obtain more documentation from members of the military, businesses and politicians back home.

Gonzalez declined the requests. Most cases lasted less than five minutes.

There is no leeway for no-shows

That same day in West Valley City, Utah, Immigration Judge Brock Taylor was assigned 159 cases. By noon, Taylor recited a dozen names of people from Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela who failed to show up. Without elaborating, he said each was properly notified of their hearing date and failed to appear. He ordered them removed from the United States and they would have no right to appeal.

In Chicago, attorney Peter Meinecke, a lawyer for the Resurrection Project, which runs a legal clinic for immigrants, said one of his clients was issued a removal order when he couldn’t attend a mega master hearing across the country in Seattle after a vehicle accident fractured both of his legs and confined him to a wheelchair.

At the start of the second Trump administration in January 2025, about 20% of people missed scheduled immigration court hearings nationwide, according to Mobile Pathways. As hearing notice times shrunk, that no-show rate doubled to 40% by this June, the organization said. A nonprofit group that tracks and analyzes immigration court data and gives that information to immigrants and other organizations.

Deportation orders have risen alongside the no-show rates. Almost 33,000 deportation orders were issued in January 2025. This June, there were about 79,000, according to Mobile Pathways’ data. And once a deportation order is issued, an immigrant’s asylum claim is almost always considered “abandoned.”

The national rate of cases considered abandoned is now nearly five times the historical average dating back to 2009; in New York and Chicago specifically, it’s roughly six times higher, according to Mobile Pathways.

“That’s a recipe for disaster, because more people are going to be ordered removed in absentia who truly have a valid case,” said Katie Fleming, a director at Acacia Center for Justice, a network of legal service providers.

Some people have even been issued deportation orders while they were inside the building that houses the Chicago immigration court, but confused about where to go and how to get help, according to Alex McGriff, an attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center, which runs a legal help desk there.

“The court ordered them removed despite the fact that they were not absent,” McGriff said.

The backlog is shrinking, but caseloads are not

Advocates for stricter immigration policies call the strategy a time-saver.

“It really is economizing the judge’s time,” said Arthur, the Center for Immigration Studies fellow. “It is increasing the number of final orders that are going out, so that’s decreasing the backlog entirely.”

The backlog, which grew significantly under the Biden administration, has decreased for the first time in at least 10 years. The number of pending cases with the Executive Office of Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts, decreased from 3.7 to 3.5 million in fiscal year 2025 and continued to drop this year.

“It can be a tough job when you’re doing it at scale,” Arthur said.

Attorneys representing immigrants have similar challenges keeping up as their own caseloads intensify.

Jaime Diez, a veteran immigration attorney based in Brownsville, Texas, recently had almost 20 cases called in one day, nearly 10 times his previously normal pace.

“Due process is being thrown out of the window,” Diez said standing outside the courtroom with a six-inch thick file for one client. “It’s very worrisome, I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

___

Mayes-Osterman reported from Chicago and is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat contributed from West Valley City, Utah.

At least nine people were killed in Russian ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine, local officials said early on Saturday.

At least another 23 were injured in the attack on the capital Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service.

Moscow has escalated deadly ballistic missile attacks on Ukraine’s capital recently, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to say interceptors are urgently needed.

The strikes came two days after a suspected Russian cruise missile landed in Poland during a widespread attack on Ukraine that killed at least eight people, including six members of one family in a village near Kryvyih Rih.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital had come under a ballistic missile attack, with AFP reporting more than 10 explosions.

Fires broke out across the city and power outages were reported in some areas.

Klitschko said a residential building in Shevchenkivskyi was partially destroyed, trapping people inside.

The emergency services said at least seven people were killed in a strike in Darnytskyi district. Another 14 were injured, including two children, it reported.

In Solomyanskyi district, two people died and eight were injured, including two children, as a five-storey residential building was partially destroyed, officials said.

A hard-right Israeli politician has denounced a deal agreed by Hamas to hand over its weapons in return for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza as ‘unacceptable’. 

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said the agreement – hailed by US President Donald Trump as a ‘major milestone’ – was ‘tantamount to agreeing to Hamas organising for the next massacre’.

The deal is aimed at implementing the long-stalled second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan brokered by Trump, who pledged that it will lead to Hamas’s ‘complete disarmament’.

In a post on social media, he wrote: ‘Today, the Board of ‌Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.

‘This is a monumental step toward lasting PEACE and SECURITY.’

The agreement was a critical step towards Gaza being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the so-called Board of Peace, Trump said. 

‘At the same time, Israel will have the security it deserves, with Gaza no longer used ​as a base for terror attacks,’ he added.

Israel has yet to officially comment on the announcement, but a political source said ‘that there will be no withdrawal whatsoever’ from Israel ‘unless Hamas undergoes a genuine disarmament’.

Hamas said on Friday that it would not disarm prior to the withdrawal of the IDF forces (file pic)

US President Donald Trump hailed the deal as a ‘monumental step’ towards peace

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In somewhat of a stalemate, Hamas said on Friday that it would not disarm prior to the withdrawal of the IDF forces.

The weapons held by the Palestinian Islamist group have been one of the key sticking points in advancing the ceasefire deal, which has been in place since October.

The Israeli source said that ‘the issue of Gaza did not come up’ in this week’s meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.

But Trump maintained on Friday that Israel was pleased about the new deal.

‘We do have an understanding with Israel. Israel’s very happy about it,’ Trump told journalists at Camp David.

Hamas said it expected mediators and Trump’s Board of Peace to ensure Israel complied with the deal’s terms, which include Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel has long insisted on Hamas’s full disarmament before its forces pull back, and before the deal was announced, the political source had listed ‘the removal of weapons from Gaza and full demilitarisation of the Strip as a precondition for any process’.

Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s negotiating team, said the movement was making ‘concessions for the sake of our people in the Gaza Strip’.

‘Israel will not intervene in the issue of disarmament. The National Committee is the body that will undertake this task,’ he said, referring to the National Committee for Administration of Gaza (NCAG), which was established under Trump’s plan to handle day-to-day governance in Gaza.

Despite the ceasefire, violence has continued in Gaza, with Israeli strikes killing at least four people, including two children, on Thursday, according to health officials.

The new agreement calls for all sides to immediately halt military operations, and for an International Stabilization Force to separate Israeli troops from NCAG-controlled areas.

The Board of Peace confirmed in a post on X that Hamas had ‘agreed to a detailed Roadmap for implementing the next phases of the Gaza ceasefire’.

‘Our focus now turns to implementation,’ the organisation wrote, adding the NCAG will ‘soon begin a phased transition toward full authority’.

Under the roadmap, the NCAG will be responsible for internal security.

Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, said the deal ‘took months of very difficult negotiations’.

‘What happens next matters even more. Implementation and verification have to be real,’ Mladenov wrote on X. 

‘Withdrawal must move in lockstep with decommissioning.’

Hard-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir said the latest deal was ‘unacceptable’

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed the deal, but said ‘a lot needs to fall in place for this to work’.

UN chief Antonio Guterres, alluding to the Middle East war and its regional spillover, said the agreement was a rare positive development.

‘The only good news in recent days is the announcement by the US president of an agreement for Hamas to relinquish their weapons and for Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza,’ he said.

Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News said on Friday that Cairo will host a meeting soon of the truce’s mediators, which also include the US, Qatar and Turkey.

Earlier, a diplomatic source said the roadmap ‘offers a balanced and pragmatic path forward, with all weapons decommissioned and a phased transition of responsibilities’ to the new authorities.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there would be ‘no exceptions for certain weapons or certain people’.

The roadmap lays out a process to decommission and store Hamas’s heavy weapons, military production sites, weapons depots and tunnels, which will be implemented by NCAG. 

The free travel is to give families a helping hand with the cost of living over the school holidays.

In Bolton and Greater Manchester, 16-year-olds will be able to activate their Our Pass one month earlier (from 1 August instead of 1 September), giving them an extra month of free bus and cheaper tram travel.

The move means that all young people in Greater Manchester will be entitled to free bus travel for the whole month, with under-5s travelling free on the Bee Network all year round.

All under-18s in Greater Manchester can travel for free on Bee Network buses this August.

Families will be able to enjoy days out for less as part of the government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme, which is also cutting costs on children’s menu meals at restaurants, children’s tickets for theatres and cinemas and tickets for everyone at attractions like adventure centres, theme parks and soft play.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “We’re giving families room to breathe from the cost of living squeeze.

“With free bus travel for 5-15 year olds and discounts on kids’ meals at restaurants, cinema tickets and theme parks, we’re helping people make the most of the time they have together for the school holidays.

“Not only are we lowering costs for the summer, the £2 bus fare cap will help all passengers get to where they need to for less.”

Rob Parkinson, Chief Executive of the Family Holiday Charity, said:“A family holiday or day out doesn’t start when we arrive at our destination, it begins with the journey. Travel should be filled with anticipation, but for many families the cost of getting out and about can make quality time together feel less accessible.

“We welcome the commitment that wherever possible children will travel for free on public transport this summer – and look forward to hearing how the Great British Summer Savings initiative has unlocked new experiences for families throughout the UK.” 

VisitEngland Director, Andrew Stokes, said: “It’s fantastic to see free bus travel for children as the summer holidays get underway, supporting families to get out and explore the outstanding attractions and destinations across England in a stress-free and environmentally friendly way.

“Whether enjoying a trip to our stunning seaside destinations, beautiful countryside or our vibrant city attractions, there is so much to discover during the summer across England. I know our tourism and hospitality businesses will be very pleased to see you.” 

To help families navigate the thousands of offers as part of Great British Summer Savings, the government has created a new interactive tool showing the best deals in postcode areas, allowing families to easily see the restaurants, theatres, museums and other attractions offering discounts over the summer.

This can be found here

A link to the list of participating bus operators and routes will be available here.

Fran Wilkinson, Customer and Growth Director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said:

“We’re pleased to be taking part in the Greater British Summer Savings scheme which will mean free bus travel on the Bee Network for everyone aged five to 15 in August. This will help make days out more affordable for families this summer.

“To complement this national scheme, we are allowing Our Pass to be activated one month early which means no young person in Greater Manchester will miss out. The Bee Network is all about making it easier and more affordable to get around Greater Manchester and this national scheme will help us do just that.”

The Daily Telegraph reports, external that Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering plans to exempt rapists, from the government’s early release scheme from prisons in England and Wales. The paper understands that no final decision has been made, and the option is part of a list under review, ahead of an announcement early next week.

In his interview with the Times, external, Chancellor John Healey hinted at benefit cuts when he said that the UK’s “inexorably rising welfare bill must be controlled”. Healey also echoed the prime minister in declining to commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, saying a “target date” will instead be set at the next spending review in 2027.

The Guardian says, external Andy Burnham has been warned he faces the first revolt of his premiership, after indicating he would support fresh drilling in the North Sea. Many Labour MPs are, according to the paper, worried about how that will sit with an electorate alarmed by this summer’s soaring temperatures, drought and wildfires. The Guardian quotes the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who warned on Friday that every new fossil fuel project makes “tomorrow’s heatwaves more dangerous”.

The Financial Times leads, external on the influx of migrants into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, saying right-wing leaders including US President Donald Trump have seized on the incident. The paper notes that the 60,000 people who crossed into the exclave is five times the daily peak set in 2015 when hundreds of thousands of refugees entered Europe via Turkey. Ministers in the UK are under pressure from the Conservatives and Reform UK to strengthen Britain’s borders, according to the Daily Mail, external. Nigel Farage is quoted saying: “This is a battle for our civilisation.” The Daily Express, external, also leading on the story, cites a Conservative MP, Katie Lam, as describing the crisis as a “wake-up call”.

The Daily Mirror reports, external that grieving families are calling for a public inquiry into the actions of a funeral director in Hull, who mistreated the remains of dozens of people. Robert Bush was jailed for 20 years. The paper’s headline is, “Never Again”.

The festival will run over three days with events on Thursday, September 3, and Saturday, September 5.

There will be a variety of live music, industry talks, and comedy.

What’s happening?

Thursday, September 3

Location: Darlington’s Hopetown Museum

Headliner: George Boomsa

Hailing from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, George blends folk-rock influences, country motifs, and rhythm & blues to create his rich, unique sound.

Support Acts: Before Close and The Mist Calls

Saturday, September 5

Location: Darlington Hippodrome

Headliner: Chartreuse

Location: The Hullabaloo

Headliner: Lucia and The Best Boys

Location: The Forum Music Centre

Headliner: Benefits

Hailing from Teesside, their uncompromising spoken-word lyrics, sonic rage, electronic dance wall of sound has seen them tour the globe receiving critical acclaim across national press and radio.

Also on the festival line-up are Leazes, Polyvinyl, Lizzy Esau, Empty Page, Nano Kino, Bitchfider General, Central Arcade, Eve Simpson, Robyn Banks, Risco, Callum Pitt, The Callows, Katie Grace, Labyrinthine Oceans, Wench, Anna Karila, and more.

What else is on?

The festival will also be hosting a festival within itself called the Hilarity Bites.

On the same ticket, this stage provides a barrel of laughs all day.

You can pop in and out or spend all day there.

It welcomes hilarious comedians Silky, Rob Mulholland, Gavin Webster, Devin Gary, Maxine Wade, Anna Thomas, The Halls Of The Ridiculous, Ray Bradshaw, and more.

What time will it finish?

Doors open at 1pm and the event will finish at 10:15pm.

The festival is programmed to finish in time for festival goers to catch the ‘last train home’.

Festival organisers say this is to make the event more accessible and encourage festival goers to choose a greener transport option.

How much are tickets?

Tickets are £25 plus a booking fee online or £30 on the door.

An advance group-booking discount is available.

Is there an age limit?

Admission policy is 14+ years.

Any under-18s must be accompanied by a grown-up.

The Irish mob boss also told podcaster James English in a prison interview of the moment a Hutch assassin pulled a gun on him

Mob boss Daniel Kinahan believes the Irish courts will lock him up for the rest of his days when he is brought back from Dubai to face justice in the Republic.

“I think I have already got life in prison,” he told podcaster James English in a behind-bars phone interview in his Dubai prison cell.

Mr English, who previously interviewed Kinahan in 2022 before the Dublin mobster and key allies were sanctioned by the United States, released a portion of his interview with him on Friday – ahead of his extradition from the United Arab Emirates to Dublin to go on trial.

Kinahan, 49, is expected back from Dubai imminently after he lost his final appeal against that extradition – which means the way is now clear for him for him to be sent to Ireland for trial.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has already ruled that Kinahan – head of the €1.5billion drugs and crime cartel that bears his family name – is to be charged with serious gangland offences here.

It is understood he is to face charges of directing a crime gang – an offence that can see anyone convicted of it jailed for life.

In the excerpts from the interview, published on Mr English’s Instagram account on Friday afternoon, Kinahan says he believes he has already been convicted – even though is trial has not even started yet.

He tells Mr English: “I think I have already got life in prison, James.”

He adds that he believe a deal has been done to get him back from Dubai quicker than normal extraditions.

“I think there is a deal being done, you know,” he says.

And he adds: “I think we’re going to go through the dance now and the circus and the character assassination even more now of me and my family.”

Kinahan also raises the absence of Gardaí from the Regency Airport Hotel in north Dublin in February 2016 when the Hutch gang attacked a boxing bout he was at in an effort to murder him and colleagues. That attack saw the Hutch mob kill ally David Byrne – and miss Kinahan by seconds.

Gardaí have faced repeated criticism for not having officers there – even though some media were present because they knew Kinahan would be attending.

Kinahan echoes that criticism, as well as slamming the slow reaction of the force to the attack.

He says: “There are so many things that happened and there is so much dirty things that I think it is time to start to come out now.

“Regarding the Regency, it took over 20 minutes for them to respond, there was no police there.

“They talk about, I’m a big mafia boss and this imaginary cartel that they created and there is no police at the Regency when there is a publicised boxing event on there.

“There’s four different reporters there, ready to take pictures.

“Police didn’t respond, (they are) two minutes away and the police didn’t respond for over 20 minutes.”

He says: “People need to connect the dots now and start looking into this because once they unravel what is happening there it is going to unravel and it is going to be a snowball effect for all other corruption that has been going on over the last two, three, four decades.”

He also spoke about the moment a Hutch gunman pulled a gun on him during the attack – and how he managed to escape.

He said: “I seen him actually pulling the gun from the back of his waist and just pulling his hand up and then I just ran through the door.”

Kinahan also said he believes he has been scapegoated.

He said: “I believe I have not been an angel in my life and I don’t think anyone has been an angel. The person who points the finger has three fingers pointing back at themselves.

“I don’t want to play like I am a martyr and people believe he is innocent, he is a conspiracy theorist.

“But yeah, I believe in a way I am a scapegoat and anyone that looks into this so-called feud that they say they have created, then you will see, you will see things yourself if someone has the time to look into it.”

Before the US sanctions hit him and his father Christy and brother Christopher, Kinahan had been making inroads on his plan to become boxing’s Mr Fixit – and was trying to make himself a supremo in the game by facilitating major deals.

That plan collapsed after he was targeted by the Americans – and he said he feels he could have made a difference in the sport.

He said: “I think I would have done a lot of good for boxing because I was not in boxing to launder money as they say – I never did that whatsoever.

“I think I would have given a lot back to boxing and helped a lot of people, you know.”

He also said he cannot understand how the media in Ireland can repeatedly write about him and call him a gang boss.

“That is a question that I would like to know,” he says.

And, when asked who is the most interesting person he has met, he replied: “I would say one of the most interesting people I spoke to, just for a short time, was (director) Guy Ritchie, without a doubt.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) was left for dead on the floor of the depot in Emmerdale. But who did it?

Who would want Billy, who would barely hurt a fly, lying in a pool of his own blood?

The timing is certainly interesting – it happened right after Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) allegedly just missed witnessing Billy and Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) almost share a kiss.

He’s been suspicious for a while that something was going on between them given Dawn’s raging jealousy at Billy’s relationship with Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham), but would Joe do this?

Caleb Miligan (William Ash) knew all about the moment and when Joe confronted him about his illegal car parts business, Caleb hit him where it hurts by revealing what he saw between Billy and Dawn.

Joe immediately vowed revenge, just as Dawn left Billy a voicemail. What should happen next? Billy is found bludgeoned on the floor.

Kerry (Laura Norton) and Jai (Chris Bisson) made the discovery at the depot, and Jai leapt into action to call an ambulance.

Kerry jumped into a different kind of action – hiding the counterfeit goods. Priorities.

Billy’s loved ones were told that he had suffered a brain bleed. The detective investigating the incident then arrived and didn’t hesitate to tell everyone that he believes Billy was the victim of an attack.

Caleb made a great deal of effort to tell the copper that Joe had motive having just discovered Billy and Dawn’s kiss.

At the hospital, Joe tried to convince his partner that he’s an innocent man, but it seemed as though he was lying when the detective arrived and arrested him for GBH.

In scenes that will air soon, Billy’s life remains in serious danger.

In the police station, Joe is questioned after spending the night in a cell. If Billy doesn’t wake up, will DS Byrne charge Joe with manslaughter or murder? Even though the troublesome Tate says he didn’t do anything?

Meanwhile, Gabby discovers that Dawn and Billy kissed.

If Billy wakes up, the only thing we know for certain is that it’s crystal clear he no longer wants to be with Gabby.

What will happen if Billy wakes up and confirms that Joe definitely did attack him?

How will that impact Dawn’s upcoming departure from the show?

MORE: Major arrest made in Emmerdale as Billy’s life hangs in the balance after attack

MORE: Are you a true fan? Test your knowledge with Metro’s weekly Soaps quiz

MORE: Lives forever destroyed in Emmerdale as Sadie, Charity and Sarah explode shattering secrets

She shared a glimpse of her diamond ring on social media while celebrating with friends.

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A former Coronation Street star turned fashion boss has announced her engagement. Arianna Ajtar played a model called Olivia Radfield on the cobbles between 2018 and 2019.

The 30-year-old’s character and her family were wrapped in drugs, insurance fraud, and theft storylines that landed Corrie stalwart Sally Metcalfe in prison. She launched her own fashion brand Mars The Label in 2016 from Manchester and it has been reported the firm had an eight-figure turnover in 2022.

Arianna posted a selfie to Instagram on July 27 that showed off her engagement ring. The post, which includes snaps of her and former Love Island contestant Mary Bedford, includes the caption ‘celebrating love with my favourite people’.

She ended the post with a ring emoji and a white heart, which commenters also used to congratulate her. Arianna appears to have kept her relationship private, with no posts of her fiance currently on her Instagram profile.

In reply to a comment, she revealed she had been taking her engagement ring off when taking selfies to keep the news under wraps. One friend commented: “My most beautiful girl in her best era yet.”

Another said: “I have never seen anyone’s outfit and hand look this good.” A third said: Ah, we’ve launched our wifey. You deserve the world. Love you.”

Arianna replied: “FINALLY can stop taking the ring off for selfies now the bandage has been ripped off.”

The Bolton-born business owner first appeared on Coronation Street in May 2018 where her character Olivia met Rosie Webster at Underworld underwear factory. The pair discovered a bag given to her by agent Antoine Reese was filled with drugs so the pair swapped the majority of the bags with Sally Metcalfe’s icing sugar.

Her dad, Duncan, had a larger role in the soap and stole charity money and framed Sally for the crime, landing her in prison. He and his wife, May, faked her death for an insurance claim but When Sophie Webster suspected them she questioned Olivia.

Olivia had been told that Sally’s husband Tim Metcalfe was to blame for May’s death but eventually his lies unravelled when May returned to visit him. According to fan site Corriepedia, Arianna’s last episode on the cobbles was on January 14, 2019.